Galapagos Diving day tours

Diving in the Galapagos can be challenging. Currents can be strong and more unpredictable than you may be used to, especially in the July – December months, when it is more common to see bigger marine creatures in the areas.

For your safety some of our dive sites, like Gordon Rocks, are available only to experienced divers, specifically ones with 25 or more logged dives with the last dive being within the year. Please plan your trip with this in mind. However, if you have under 25 dives but feel able to dive at the challenging sites, you will be subject to evaluation by our dive instructors.

All divers must be fully certified. Minimum dive experience only applies for Gordon Rocks where at least 30 previous immersions is required.

All divers are recommended to have a copy of their PADI certification with them to ensure that they are allowed to dive.

All divers must visit the dive centre in Puerto Ayora the day before their trip in order to try on all of the equipment.

Dive sites can be changed according to weather conditions and the divers’ skill level or the judgment of the Dive Master.

July to December water temperatures are cooler, from 65°F – 75°F (18°C- 23°C) with occasional thermoclines from 60°F – 64°F (16°C- 18°C).

Schedule of diving daily tours in the Galápagos Islands

DAYS

LANCHA IGUANA

LANCHA GALAPAGO

MONDAY

GORDON***/NORTH MOSQUERA

FLOREANA

TUESDAY

SEYMOUR CHANNEL / DAPHNE

GORDON***

WEDNESDAY

BARTOLOME/COUSINS

SEYMOUR CHANNEL /NORTH MOSQUERA

THURSDAY

SEYMOUR POINT/ GORDON***

BARTOLOME/ COUSINS

FRIDAY

SOUTH MOSQUERA/ SEYMOUR CHANNEL

SEYMOUR POINT / PUNTA CARRIÓN

SATURDAY

PUNTA CARRION / GORDON***

SOUTH MOSQUERA / DAPHNE

SUNDAY

SANTA FE

SEYMOUR CHANNEL/GORDON***

*** MINIMUM OF 25 LOGGED DIVES OR THE EVALUATIONS OF OUR GUIDES

PRICEper person per day
$US 245

A regular Day Galapagos Dive Trip follow this schedule:

Meet at the dive center in the morning around 7 to 8 depending on the dive tour.

Private transportation to your dive site (duration of 30min to 1h45, depending on the dive site) you have different options form beginners to advanced level

1 dive before lunch: Duration: 45 – 60 minutes

Have lunch and hot beverages (included)

Make 1 dive after lunch: Duration of 45 – 60 minutes.

Return to port between 15h30 and 17h30, depending on the dive site.

The tours include:

Experienced guides bilingual in English and Spanish

Check dive (check weight and gear) 5-10 minutes

2 dives

All dive equipment – Wetsuit 5 & 7mm, BCD, regulator, booties, fins, Hood, tanks, if you usually feel the cold faster and more fiercely than others, you may want to bring an extra layer of your own.

Lunch and snacks and drinking water

DIVING DAY TRIPS

Gordon Rocks

Gordon Rocks is an extinct volcanic crater with a sandy bottom at 32 meters, and a wall drop off around the outside of around 65 meters . It has 3 exposed rocks that surround the crater and 3 pinnacles ranging from 5- 6 meters under the surface along the northern edge of the crater with one larger pinnacle approximately 21 meters below the surface in the center.

The strong currents that frequent Gordon Rocks make it possible to spot schools of the famous hammerhead sharks up to 50 sharks, can be found circling the rocks through the current giving repeated views of the amazing creatures. White and black tip reef sharks also frequent the area as well as green sea turtles, sea lions, sting rays, Eagle rays, large schools of barracuda and snapper and the occasional manta ray.

Bartolome and Cousins Rock

Travel Time: Approx. 2 hours car and boat travel from Puerto Ayora.

The underwater world of Bartolomé consists of interesting rock formations with overhangs, caves, and deep crevices.
Cousins Rock is a world famous dive site for experienced divers near Bartolomé. This triangular rock rises 10 m. out of the water and consists of multilayered volcanic rock. We dive along ledges and overhangs, which take turns with steep slopes and walls. A stunning wall is covered in endemic black coral and is inhabited by invertebrates. The largest and only sea horse in the Eastern Pacific can also be found here. Encounters with small schools of hammerhead sharks, eagle and manta rays, marine turtles, large shoals of reef fish, and barracudas are possible.

Floreana

Floreana has very little current making it an excellent site for beginners, and a great place for the experienced diver

Floreana is situated about 50 km south of Santa Cruz. The four dive sites Enderby, Champion, Devil’s Crown, and Gardner are located in the north and west of the island and feature relatively calm waters with little current. These sites are eroded cone formations consisting of slabs, ledges, and overhangs overgrown by endemic black coral and pebble coral. Floreana is also one of the best sites to dive with sea lions. If if that isn’t enough there is the enticing gauntlet of sea horses, stingrays, eagle rays, turtles, large shoals of reef fish, colonies of garden eels, long nose hawkfish, barracudas, pelagic fish, white tip reef sharks, Galapagos sharks and hammerhead sharks.

Santa Fé

Travel Time: 40 minutes boat travel from Puerto Ayora.

Easy shallow dive suitable for beginners. Santa Fe is well known for being one of the easiest dives in Galapagos, but by no means boring. This island is a solid structure of basaltic lava rocks about an hour away from our base. The 4 dive sites here generally have excellent visibility and mild currents, making these sites ideal for novices. At the same time, the animals and topography (including a spectacular arch) make them interesting for intermediates and experts. We can see stingrays, eagle rays, garden eels, turtles, sea lion colonies, morays, pelagic fish, and maybe white tip reef sharks and/or hammerhead sharks.

Pinzón

Travel Time: 1 – 1.5 hours boat travel form Puerto Ayora.

Pinzón is a small island located off the western coast of Santa Cruz, about 1 hour from Puerto Ayora. It is a great spot for beginners and experienced alike offering many playful sea ions, turtles and red lipped bat fish. The deep drop off wall is for divers with a bit more experience, and is a great spot to see sea horses, rays, different species of sharks and lobster.

In the warmer months Pinzón is a favorite site for the Manta Rays and pods of dolphins can regularly be seen.

Mosquera & Daphne

Travel Time: Approx. 1 hour car and boat travel from Puerto Ayora.

Mosquera is situated only a short distance away and consists solely of sand and lava rocks as well as two dive sites. We dive along the wall at the north coast of the island, either in eastern or western direction. The marine life are large shoals of tropical reef fish and pelagic fish, colonies of garden eels, different species of rays, white tip reef sharks, marine turtles, and of course sea lions.
Daphne is an isolated offshore tuff cone with vertical walls all around it about one hour from our dive base. The main dive site is a shelf of boulders at about 60 feet and the diving can be difficult depending on the currents and surge. We usually see many Galapagos sharks here, some schools of pelagic fish, and multicolored sponges on the rock wall.

North Seymour

Travel Time: Approx. 1 hour car and boat travel from Puerto Ayora.

There are 5 dive sites around Seymour with a maximum depth of 30 m, which are suitable for advanced and experienced divers. The underwater world is a formation of steep rocky walls, underwater mountains, crevices, and caves. Here we find the most diverse species per square meter, for example large colonies of garden eels, nudibranchs, shoals of tropical fish, white tip reef sharks, different rays, sea lions and occasionally Galapagos sharks can also be seen here.

The North Seymour topography consists of gradual steps off the island shoreline declining 8 meters to a beautiful rock reef, before reaching the sandy bottom at 16 – 18 meters. Diving at Seymour provides the opportunity to swim with many white and black tip reef sharks, as well as being a favorite resting place for large numbers of green sea turtles. Though Seymour does not have the notoriety for hammer head sharks, it is still possible to see small schools at both Seymour sites, swimming through the channel and around the point through the current. Large schools of barracuda, snapper and other reef fish are also in abundance, and the rock reef is an excellent place to search for the well camouflaged octopi, also schools of spotted eagle rays that glide through the channel along the sand, occasionally joined by devil and manta rays.

San Cristobal island – Kicker Rock

Diveboat ride to Isla Lobos, check dive, observation of trumpet fish, sea lions and blue footed boobies. Boat ride to Kicker Rock. First diving place is at the north side of Kicker Rock, drift dive, observation of hammerhead sharks, green pacific sea turtle, golden ray, morays, eels, Galapagos sharks and more. Return to the boat to rest. Second dive place is along the south wall of Kicker Rock. Opportunity to see hammerheads, eagle and marbled rays. Lunch on board. Transfer to Manglesito beach. Relax on the beach. Return to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.